Diet and behavior

Intent on finding the impact of different time-of-day eating patterns on incidence of lifetime mood disorders, 1304 subjects are assessed on their food and drink intake over 24 hours during the years 2004-2006. Their lifetime mood disorder was measured at follow-up (5 years later) using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Three eating habits were identified: grazing (intake spread across the day); traditional (highest intakes as breakfast, lunch and dinner); and late (either skipped or delayed breakfast with greater consumption in the evening). Compared to the adults in the respective pattern at baseline and follow-up, a higher prevalence of mood disorder was seen in the highest third of the “late” pattern (PR=2.04), and a lower incidence observed in the highest third of those eating in the “traditional” pattern (PR=0.31). It was found that the adults in this cohort population who experienced a mood disorder during the follow-up had a 1.07 higher relative risk of being in a higher “late” pattern score category than those who were not reported with a mood disorder. This suggests that having an eating pattern that involves skipping or delaying breakfast may increase risk of developing mood disorders.

This 2019 cross-sectional study involved assessing the relationship between breakfast habits and daily food consumption, with well-being and sleep quality in a group of 66 healthy young adults. Lifestyle questionnaires and dietary recalls helped identify daily consumption and eating patterns in the study group, while 7-day actigraphy and sleep diaries tracked sleep quality. Increased breakfast frequency over the week showed significant improvements in perceived waking alertness, and was correlated with lower energy and fat intake across a day. There was also a positive association found between breakfast frequency with perceived sleep quality and perceived waking mood, although no association was discovered with measured sleep duration, latency and efficiency. When examining the breakfast groups (determined by whether breakfast is consumed 7 days/week or skipped at least once a week), the more consistently breakfast eating group reported higher perceived sleep quality, better mood and alertness upon waking compared to those who skip breakfast (p<0.05). Breakfast consumers took in less energy and carbohydrate per day than those breakfast skippers, although variation between the groups in the sleep outcomes was not reported. Overall, Gwin et. al (2019) have published data to suggest breakfast consumption is associated with mood, sleep health and eating habits in healthy young adults although further studies examining the causal role of breakfast over a longer time period should be encouraged to provide extra evidence.

In this review, Fiese (2018) discusses food-related time allocation in several forms and its relationship with our eating habits. The narrator has drawn from previous studies that the amount of time dedicated to cooking and dining can be associated with cardiovascular risk and BMI, and therefore considers alternative influences in diets and health such as perception of time intensity and direct observation of allocation during meals. Those who feel time pressure or strain may be less likely to get involved in healthy food related activities and could be at a higher risk for health outcomes. Fiese (2018) recommends a socio-ecological approach to the study of time allocation and dietary habits in the United States and provokes the exploration of direct observation of time use.

This experiment investigates whether a messy, chaotic kitchen influences snacking behavior, and explores the possibility that different mindsets can lead to either more or less snacking in female students. One hundred and one undergraduate students experienced one of two conditions in this experiment: 1) a standard kitchen, or 2) a chaotic kitchen. The women’s mindsets were categorised by asking the participants to recall a time when they felt particularly in control or particularly out-of-control. They were then handed cookies, crackers and carrots, and their responses were recorded for analysis. The study found that those with an out-of-control mindset and those placed in the chaotic kitchen consumed more cookies than the in-control mindset subgroup, while the chaotic environment had no impact on carrots or crackers consumption. The untidiness and chaos in the kitchen could make one susceptible to making unhealthy dietary decisions but the mindset of the individual can also trigger or buffer against this vulnerability.

What is a snack, why do we snack, and how can we choose better snacks? A review of the definitions of snacking, motivations to snack, contributions to dietary intake, and recommendations for improvement

Impact of breakfast skipping compared with dinner skipping on regulation of energy balance and metabolic risk